I just tested positive on Tuesday and received test results for my HIV viral load from the doctor, however, I am not sure how to intrepret them. Is there a scale which would show me where I fall? He wrote HIV Viral Load 4.74 copies/ml. I see different types of numbers when people refer to their viral load. Are there other ways this is translated? Is this high? Low?

Response from Dr. Holodniy

That number is likely the absolute copy number expressed in log10 units. So 4.74 log10/copies per mL is the same as 55,000 copies/mL. For your math lesson today, 1 log = 10, 2 log = 100, 3 log = 1,000, 4 log = 10,000 copies/ml and so on. That viral load is in the moderate range. The range is anywhere between 50 to about 1 million copies/ml, although people on HIV treatment can have an "undetectable" viral load which is < 50 copies/ml>

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